New Delhi: Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria took charge as Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief here on Monday. He has succeeded ACM BS Dhanoa, who superannuated on Monday.
After assuming charge, he went to National War Memorial and paid his tribute to soldiers who made their supreme sacrifice in protecting the nation.
"Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, took over as 26th Chief of the Indian Air Force today.
"He was commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF in Jun 1980," the IAF said.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune, Bhadauria has clocked over 4,250 hours of flying and has flown 26 different types of fighter jets during his lifetime.
The new IAF chief had served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command from March 2017 to August 2018.
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He had also served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Training Command from August 2018 and held the office till his elevation to the Vice Chief of the Air Staff in May this year.
Things about the new IAF chief:
* Had he not been appointed IAF chief, Bhadauria would have retired the same day as Dhanoa. It is rare though not unprecedented for top officers to be promoted as service chiefs with effect from the day of their retirement and making top appointments is the government prerogative. Air Chief Marshal NC Suri was also appointed the IAF chief in 1991 from the day of his retirement.
* He led the complex negotiations for the Rs 59,000-crore Rafale deal for 36 fighters. France will hand over the Indian Air Force its first Rafale fighter jet on October 8.
* Bhadauria will take charge of the IAF at a time when the service is grappling with a spending crunch that could hit its modernization efforts. The IAF has sought an additional Rs 40,000 crore from the government to buy new equipment and also pay for weapons and systems it has already contracted to purchase.